I couldn’t wait….Its shy of midnight, ready for the first copy to land on my doorstep in a few days so I can take a peek before I approve its release. Thought you’d like to see the cover. More details next week. Wait until you see the dedication….
Category Archives: Uncategorized
A Bear Finds a Home
A few days ago I heard on the news about a bear in a tree in Downtown Orlando. Now, people might think it odd that a bear would be found in a metropolitan area, let alone Florida, but its quite common. Downtown Orlando is actually a very green and lush area, filled with old oaks and sprawling parks, with the occasional sky scraper thrown in. So, its not uncommon for the bears that live in the surrounding areas to kinda get lost, and wander into the city. I was terrified of what might happen to the bear considering the county tried to kill the little puppy Rufus last month (if you remember), but I was very happy to hear that the Fish and Wildlife people decided that they were going to leave the bear alone and let him find his way home on his own. If he gets aggressive, they’ll take him out with a tranquilizer and relocate him. But, they wanted the bear to find his way home by his own devices. So, God willing, the bear will come down out of his tree and slip out of downtown as quietly as he slipped in and all will be well.
Then my beautiful friend Brandyce at Lionbrand sent me a skein of some LOVELY yarn called “Homeland.” Loved its deep rich chocolate and hints and flecks of Golden Honey and went right to work on a bear. And as I was knitting, watching the colors come to life, watching the little eyes come to life, watching his subtle smile form quietly against that deep chocolate brown, I was wondering what I would call this bear.
As many of you know, I name my bears around situations, or moments that I’ve thought about, meditated on while knitting. I don’t give them names, I give them emotions. So, as the last stitches of this bear were sewn up I kept thinking on the word “home.” The bear in the tree finding his way home…..the name of the skein, Homeland….and the idea that this home I have, this little apartment I have, wouldn’t have been possible without you. I don’t have a place to live, I have a proper HOME in not only these four adorable walls, but in your hearts, and in your thoughts. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
I want to make this bear a touch more special because of that. I’m going to make him limited edition. 20 only. Signed and numbered. So, if you’d like to adopt one, if you’d like to find this special bear a home, then click here.
Squashed!!!
Have dirt? Then you should plant something, right? Right!
Well, sort of….
I couldn’t believe the price of produce when I was at the supermarket last week. $3 for celery. Tomato? $2 per pound. Bell Pepper? $1.50 each. Cantaloup was also astronomically high. Now, I eat a lot of beans and rice, and as you’ve seen in one of my earlier posts, my weight has been plummeting like crazy. I’ve dropped down to 122 pounds from poor diet and stress. So, when I was at the store I made the noble effort to add more fresh vegetables to my diet. But I just couldn’t believe how expensive fresh vegetables really are. No wonder our country has serious health problems. Good, wholesome, fresh food is expensive. Processed junk in a box is incredibly cheap. Lemons were 3 for $2. Only 3 lemons. Dude, I live in Central Florida, they grow on trees all over the place. Kara tells me, “That’s because these lemons are shipped in from California.” Well, I don’t wanna pay the airfare for lemons to travel across the country. I want a good 25 cent lemon that fell off the local farmer’s tree. So, I got this wild idea in my head to plant a little garden of my own. I do have a small backyard space to my apartment. Only about the size of my apartment, 10×10, but that should be plenty of room to grow a few vegetables…..
Kara and I did the research for our zone, and sadly, its too late for many things to grow here in Orlando, or too early. The only thing we can grow right now? Squash. Isn’t that hysterical? So, we planted some squash. It won’t be ready for another 2 months, but at least I’ll have TONS of it when its ready to harvest! I love squash, so its fine! I’m looking forward to it! Now, come August, I’ll be able to plant more variety. Tomato, peppers, onions, the usual back yard garden feast. But, as poor as I am, I simply can’t buy the produce being offered at the supermarket. But, I won’t be deterred. I’ll grow my own, thank you.
I’m pushing my teddy bears like crazy today. I’m hoping to raise some funds for a bike. Since I don’t have any transportation, I think I could really use a bike, a quick zoom to the post office and Publix, then a quick dash back home to get my knitting underway. I’m thinking of discontinuing the rabbit for a little while. He doesn’t seem to be as popular as the bears. It’ll free up room to add another design, since I only get 5 products to list through the free version of bigcartel. But, who knows? Maybe he’ll get a surge in popularity today.
Ok, I’m off to water my one little squash plant 
Come Share My Table
I’m awfully fond of Sunday evening.
Little rituals let life move in ways that remind us that with simple gestures, grand moments are thought about, considered. Our souls become greater with small things we do with our little moments and actions.
I’ve always had this idea in my head that I would love to have a large family, or collection of friends to have Sunday dinner with. There’s something about communion and fellowship that comes with that. That a large table, filled with smile, laughter, discussion and companionship yields itself to pushing away pain, loneliness, or troubles. That here at this table, bountiful home cooked food at the plenty, reminds each of us with a simple action that the human community is closer than we think, that family is more a question of commitment, rather than genealogy. So, I’ve always wanted that big Sunday dinner with friends, whom I call family, sitting about in great celebration of remembrance and joy, of passing a plate to another in offering, in compliments of laughter broken out randomly. (When was the last time you complimented someone on their laugh???)
And then, as we all sit with full belly, full hearts, we remember we came to this table out of appreciation, not out of obligation. That those we become close to are for reasons we’ll never understand, but that our closeness is never out of force. That we hold each other in our own hearts and thoughts because we care, because we feel something, not because its expected. That a simple dinner becomes something greater: an act of love.
So, my little Sunday ritual is a touch different. For instance, tonight? Tonight I sat down with a grand bowl of black beans and rice. And my fellowship was in thought. I thought about all of you. I’m often thinking of you. But, on Sunday nights when I have my biggest meal of the week, I think about us. And that little, simple bowl of black beans and rice becomes a moment of love, for I wouldn’t have it without you. And though I may not be at a table sharing it with you, in my heart we’re all sitting together, being together, sharing this strange world and our lives in it together. So, I wanted to thank you for being a part of this simple man’s journey. Simple things lead to greater moments…..They do. I promise you, they do.
The OTHER ritual I have on Sunday is a peek at a few episodes of “The Vicar of Dibley.” I don’t have a television, but I do get to watch some stuff online, but generally, its things I’m looking for. I like watching “The Vicar of Dibley” on Sunday, not necessarily for the obvious reason, but the show does make me feel safe, thoughtful of kindness, and to never forget that a certain grand brilliance is moving through every slight gesture we do. Its a nice way to close the week, to further soften any quiet Sunday, and find a sense of peace before the malaise of Monday shows itself. Not to mention, I find it an incredibly funny show
So! If you’re up for it, and wanna hang out for the night with me, watch an episode with me. I’ll be sitting here knitting while watching, chuckling here and there, and finding a certain calm….and spending time with you in my own little way.
I’m still trying to get rent paid up. But, tonight I’ll go to bed with a full belly, full heart….and hopeful.
I’m hopeful something good is gonna happen…..
The Skinny on Cribbage
I truly love when Kara comes over to play cribbage. It can be any evening of the week, really, but for some reason, its when she comes over on Friday nights that I really get to have a touch of fun. She’ll usually bring a six pack of some beer, we’re not pressed for time, and we get a chance to laugh and giggle and gossip like two ridiculous little school girls, rather than talk shop. She knows I spend all day and all night knitting, and knows sometimes its best for me to put the needles down and be a dork for a minute.
Now, Kara and I have been playing cribbage with this same little board she gave me as a gift years ago. Its one of my prized possession. I love it! LOVE that board and I’ve kept it close to me as one of those gifts that isn’t worth anything to anyone, but me. I love the time we get to spend together (she is my best friend, of course), but I love that when we play cribbage I get to escape. Kara is a masterful player, and in the years we’ve been playing the game, I’ve gotten better and better, to the point where I actually win a few games now and then. And our usual ritual is quite easy. First person to win two games wins. And inevitably we have to play three games because we both have one a game. So, not bragging or anything, but I’ve become a really good player and love that I get to win sometimes.
As was the case last night. I was winning and was about to “skunk” Kara (see a cribbage rule book). And just before I did, she not only sneaked out from behind the skunk line, but won the game. “DAMN!” But, I’m hardly a sore loser. I love to play, so I said, “Hey! I’d love to have some pics of us playing, so that I can share them on my blog.” Kara took some pics of the board with my little red pegs ahead, and a great one of Mario sitting in my lap telling me which cards to play.
The night came to a close, Kara went home, then emailed me the pics. I don’t know if you noticed the same thing I did, but when I saw the pics, my heart sank. I couldn’t believe how much weight I had lost, how skinny I was. Then it dawned on me, a conversation one of my old acquaintances had with me that seemed at the time rather off topic and out of nowhere, but now seems to make sense. He asked me how I was “physically.”
“Fine. Why?”
“Well, when was the last time you were tested?”
“Gee, I dunno. About 2 years ago….why do you ask?”
“Was just wondering…..You just don’t look as healthy as you used to. So, I was wondering if you had been tested….”
Hmmm. Ok. Now, I understand why he would ask. Yes. I weigh 122 pounds right now. And God knows, the last two years have been a nightmare. A NIGHTMARE. With the stress of that, the stress of not being able to make rent, compounded with not being able to buy massive amounts of groceries, compounded with a hyper active personality that is always ALWAYS working and rarely sleeping, yes CAN cause some pretty drastic physical changes. Sorry, old acquaintance, but the days of my lounging on Sunday for brunch are over. The days of going out for the evening at 10pm to a room filled with overly critical queens is OVER. Being able to sniff my nose at food because I don’t approve of how it was grown is OVER. And it kinda angered me that in this particular community if you’ve gone incredibly thin the only explanation can possibly be illness. And not just ANY illness…..but, the biggie. AIDS. Oh! And just so you know, and if we may speak candidly and a touch adult? I tested negative….because I haven’t been intimate with someone in about 3 years. (and if you ask me, THAT is the real tragedy here….but, you don’t think about stuff like when you’re trying to scrounge up food).
But, looking at those pics, I saw first hand what all of this has done to my body and I was just….a touch terrified. Stress and poor eating habits and no sleep. Does a body poorly. Granted pics of my face get taken often and I like to think I’ve got one charming smile. I really do. But, man….122 pounds… at 6 foot????
New friends like Ruan and old friends like Marie (whom I think has been with this blog since the very beginning) mentioned I ought to put up my donate button again. My dear DEAR friend Trasi once told me to think of it as my “yarn bowl,” and that like any artist, if people appreciate my writing and my knitting as they walk by, then its there as an open way for people to show appreciation and to help. My double pointed knitting needles going a mile a second can easily compete with the grand strumming of an acoustic guitar on the sidewalk.
So, my donate button is back up. I’m not going to be able to continue on this particular stretch for too much longer. Think about it. I mean look how skinny I’ve gotten? Its true, rent is late again, still haven’t raised it all, electric company is sending little warning letters….But, like I wrote in my last post, I don’t need to be a rich man. I just need the basics.
Food, clothing, shelter, and yarn.
The Rich Man’s Teddy Bear
Just a short while back I posed the question to many of you: “Should I charge more for my teddy bears to help me get out of my financial troubles?”
There were quite of you who, thankfully, offered your opinion and your ideas. With my financial situation what it is, charging more for the bear seemed to me like the most appropriate thing to do. But, something kept tugging at me that told me not to. I didn’t want to price myself out of business (and business has been slow), and more importantly, I didn’t like the idea of my teddy bear being accessible to only a few. I don’t want my teddy bears to be “exclusive.” Coveted, yes. But, I want them available to anyone who wants one. Never do I want to hear that my teddy bear is great and adorable….but that someone couldn’t afford him. These bears are about hope, love, clutching, strength, determination, and companionship. The same ideas and issues that WE ALL struggle with, or yearn for. Those tender, sometimes painful feelings shouldn’t be thwarted by only those with financial means.
So, I decided NOT to raise the price of my bears. I just can’t do it. Face it, I’ll never be a rich man knitting these little guys, but its never been about that, really. Its about what they mean to YOU when you pick him up and hold him, and when you place him in bed with your little one, or when you tuck him on a shelf to keep watch over you. Its about that, not about becoming a rich man. If I’m blessed, then my writing will make me a few more dollars than I have right now. And I’ve often said that one day, my greatest goal was to be a philanthropist….and at THAT point, I wouldn’t have to charge anything for my teddy bears. They would simply go to homes that need them. Wouldn’t that be amazing? That I could actually spend the time I had giving these teddy bears to empty arms in desperate need of something to hold? Hopefully, one day. But, for now? As long as I can sell one bear a day, I’m inclined to think all is well in the world. One bear a day keeps me in a home, keeps the lights on, keeps food in Mario’s belly, a little left over (I’m saving up to buy a bike so I can get to the post office and supermarket much quicker so that I can dash back home and knit), and the occasional book found at a thrift store. So, one bear a day, and all is well in the world. And with that? Then I am definitely a rich man already.
This is isn’t my teddy bear, this is OUR teddy bear. He belongs to our whole human community, with the weight of loneliness and pain, fear and doubt lifted away by the simple squeeze of his plush little body.
If you’d like to adopt one, click here.
Memorial
So I got one of those little email alerts from Pinterest. “Post your favorite BBQ recipe.” You know I don’t have a television, so I watch anything I’m going to see online. On one of my Hulu shows I was watching while knitting, I saw a grand Memorial Day Sale advertised by a major retailer. Then when I was heading out to get some supplies earlier today, someone asked me what I had planned for Memorial Day. “Going to a pool party?” And I truly do love the little Google placement on their homepage of the drawing done by a little girl running to her father to embrace him….but.
But.
That add is beautifully more appropriate on Veteran’s Day, beautifully perfect for the admiration and support for those who risk their lives to defend our Constitution, our rights, our way of life.
Memorial Day is a different issue. And to some degree, Memorial Day should be held in higher regard….for Memorial Day is when we acknowledge the one’s we didn’t get to hug….because they didn’t come back. This is a day where we should truly remind ourselves of those who put their lives on the line, didn’t ask for anything for in return, and left us to never return. They selflessly died so that we may enjoy the privileges and powers that are given to us by our citizenship. They are gone, paying with their lives the idea that we will always ALWAYS remember that this grand society we have is protected, served, and died for by volunteers, by men and women who fought for our way of life….without ever being asked….and who never came home to a hug, but to a funeral instead, to a burial.
So, I beg of you this Memorial Day weekend: please take a moment while having a pool party, while barbequing in your back yard, while swilling beer and buying something at half off, that this weekend should be given a little more credence, a touch more respect.
For, none of us, not a damned head of hair on any of us, would have the right, the ability, nor the fortune to pursue our Great American Life if it not were for those who paid for it…..without being asked. None of them, who never returned alive, would have wanted anything more than for us to have this way of life….Without being asked for praise. But, we do owe them memorial.
I truly want you to enjoy your weekend at the onset of summer. Just do me a favor….For every moment of joy and laughter you have with friends….think of those who made it possible by paying for it with their lives.
God bless our departed troops.
Thunder Squares
If you could sit along side me right now, you’d be experiencing one of the most insane lightning storms you’ve ever seen or heard in your life. The strikes are so close, you can feel the hair on your arms twitch a bit and rise with static electricity. I had forgotten how beautifully Gothic these summer storms can be. Every year from late May to early August, we get these intense, and I do mean INTENSE lightning storms every day at promptly around 5pm. Cold air from the Atlantic meets warm air from the Gulf of Mexico smack on top of Central Florida producing these symphonic and dramatic screams of thunder, these brilliant slits of electric strikes slicing the air….This is the lightning capitol of America. And you can nearly set your watch by the thunderstorms. They are violent, aggressive…but, when its all over, so goes the heat….the air is cool and icy.
It brings something out in me. Something akin to remembering that often mother nature strikes hard to make things happen. I mean, think of it, if we didn’t have these daily thunderstorms, this place wouldn’t be so pretty and green all year round. Sometimes the lightning will start fires….and again, mother nature comes along to burn up and strip out whats dead to allow new things to come forth. I love these storms. And while the storm is out trembling the weak hearted, frightening some people, Mario and I? Mario is sprawled on my bed enjoying the cool, wet breeze, and I’m sewing up an afghan. Yeah, don’t laugh, but that’s my bed: a simple mattress on the floor…with a loyal black cat gone “SPLAT” right on the edge of it
For the better part of the year, I’ve been using these scrap pieces of yarn from Lionbrand’s Amazing collection to work up an afghan. And I’m almost hours away. Now, this isn’t something I’ve worked on daily, this is one of those things were I was waiting to get my supplies for teddy bears, had a spare few minutes and would do a round of granny squares. For the last few weeks, Kara would come over and visit and put an edging of purple on my squares, and weave in the ends, while I was working up teddy bears. Today? Today we finished all the blocking and layout, taking this photograph to show which squares would go where. So, that’s my evening. I thought I would go ahead and put it up for sale, for when I put up something that’s one of a kind, it goes INSANELY fast.
Now, my bed is a full size mattress on the floor, and once I finish sewing this piece (just a few hours from now), it looks like it will cover the face of a full size bed. It has this remarkably interesting vintage look to it, and since I used the pieces from Amazing, there really is no pattern, and therefore, can never ever be reproduced again. This is a one in a lifetime. So, I’d like to go ahead and put it up for a home. This requires a special person to buy it, I mean, with these colors, these lush and plush purples and greens with hints of turquoise and rust, and this sort of retro feel, this blanket belongs to JUST the right person and I thought I’d go ahead and seek that lovely one out right now. After all, the funds will help immensely, and will allow me another leg up on rent for next month, more supplies for teddy bears, and greater deeper peace of mind. Click here if you’d like it, OH! and if you think the price isn’t appropriate, let me know! I’ll adjust.
Don’t need a crazy retro afghan? Then you can always order a teddy bear to help out. And EVERY bit helps.
Let Me Tell You About My Sausage…
So, being the financially distressed man I am, I’m always looking for ways to save a penny, or even better, a dollar. Obviously one of the best ways when it comes to food is buying things when they’re “Buy One Get One Free” or coupon clipping. Now, the Sunday paper is madness to me. Its $3. I’d rather spend the $3 on a meal rather than spend it on the paper hoping the coupons aren’t ALL for shampoo. (I shave my head, you know). HOWEVER! I learned recently that the SPANISH version of the Sunday, albeit MUCH smaller and more condensed, still has the same Sunday coupons in it….and its FREE!!!! YAY! So, I grabbed one last Sunday and there were TONS of lovely coupons in it. Most notably, a coupon for $1 off Johnsonville Sausage. Now, I’m not a REALLY big meat eater and its for only one reason: meat can be pricey. When it comes to requiring proteins, eggs and beans can do the trick at a fraction of the cost. So, I generally lean towards vegetarian because its cost effective, not for any moral or ethical reason. (Not yet, but that does seem to be changing more….I’ll talk about that later). SO! While many people have Meatless Monday, I enjoy MEATY Monday, and throw in an extravagance of meat into my one meal a week. This week? I’ve got one stellar coupon for sausage.
At Publix, said sausage was on sale for 2 for $5, making the $2.50 a piece and with my coupon my weekly bit of meat was going to be $1.50. I was like a kid in a candy store. Yay! Now, when I got to the register, my sausage rang up 2 for $6. “Pardon me, ma’am, but I think the sign said 2 for $5.” She and I walked on over, she saw the sign and said, “I believe you’re right.” Now, I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Publix has a strict policy. If the price listed doesn’t ring up correctly, either over or under regardless, you get it for free.
I’m enjoying my 6 links of free sausage Sorry to boast on my blog about free sausage, but don’t you love when good things like that happen? I smiled for most of the day, truly did.
Then Kara come round to spend some time with me as I sit here knitting and knitting and knitting and getting orders out. She’s offered to help stuffing or sewing, but I just can’t let my bears into someone else’s hands. No matter who it is. And you know how much Kara means to me, but I just couldn’t These bears begin and end with my touch. And that touch means something. You can feel it in the bear, you can see it in his face. He wasn’t mass produced and assembled by 5 people. He was worked up, knit up, born from the fingers of one little man yearning for something better in his life.
So, Kara worked on this granny square afghan I’ve had tucked in a bag for about a year now. I work on it for a few minutes here and there with scrap pieces of leftover yarn, but my focus is on my teddy bears, so I don’t deal with the afghan too much. While Kara works on that, and I on the teddy bears, we have some of the best talks. Sometimes we gossip like catty girls, sometimes we delve into politics (one of us is a socialist, the other is a capitalist-I’ll let YOU figure out who is who ). Today we spilled into religion, and don’t ask me why, but good conversation happens that way. It HAPPENS.
We were talking about man being created in the “image” of God, and I thought, “I could be wrong, but I feel its ‘likeness.’” And from there we had this great concept rolling about how man wasn’t created with 2 arms and legs and eyes and such in the form of a human as an image, but as a LIKENESS, man was created as a creator, to be a creator of life, a pro-creator. As God created Man, so man CREATES life. If man was created in God’s “likeness” then it would be as a creator replicating the GREAT CREATOR Himself by giving life, producing life, CREATING life. Interesting. And we talked about the idea of how truly solid the 10 commandments were when you think about it. And how it kinda hands over to this discussion. “Thou Shalt Not Kill.” It doesn’t say, “Thou Shalt Not Murder.” Or “Thou Shalt Not Take Another Life.” It says simply, “Thou Shalt Not Kill.” Period. No debate, no discussion. I created you in my likeness to GIVE life, not take it.
Life is in YOUR hands, Mankind. You leave Death to me.
And as we had this talk, I thought, “you know….this just might be my last Meaty Monday.” I just don’t know how I feel about people who say, though, I only eat this and I only eat that. When you’re hungry, you’ll eat anything, and I DO mean anything. I once had to a can of Vienna Sausages that was 2 years expired because I was hungry. And yes, I paid for it later. So, I’m debating in my head the idea of strict vegetarianism, for myself. I dunno. I don’t like food pretentiousness. I don’t like it when people get high and mighty about wanting to help feed the poor, but then make selective decisions that seem pompous. “I’m Gluten Free….so, by all means give my wheat to the poor.” It just rubs me wrong sometimes. But, I felt my free sausage was a much loved blessing. So…..ah, bah! I just want to be a good man. That’s all…I want to do what is right by all things alive. Not for my own selfish sustenance. So, maybe my one meal of meat a week will slowly fade out. “Thou Shalt Not Kill…..” No exceptions.
Funny how a day of free sausage and knitting can lead you to change your beliefs all in one sitting. Too funny….As if God was saying, “Here, Gregory. I want you to have this on me….now, really REALLY think about what it means to have it.”
My friend Robin sent me this lovely pic of her newly adopted teddy bear. Couldn’t get enough of how nicely held he was. So, I thought I’d share it with you. I REALLY REALLY want more of these pics. Please send them! This little guy is proudly residing in Virginia. Apparently, he’s sitting on a table as I write this blog, overseeing the building of some cabinets with moral support. Love it!!!
The Well Traveled Bear
So, let’s start with the quick bits. I want to wish all of my internet Mamas a belated Mother’s Day. There are so many of you that off the top of my head I come up with names and names and names and if I gave all of you a shout out, I’d run out of space I wouldn’t achieve anything, emotionally, spiritually, nor physically without all of you and your support. Your concern, your care, the genuine feeling of comfort you show me is always the first thing I think of in the day. You make me feel like a special man, like a blessed man. For, if all things in life were to suddenly be mounted as awards and accolades, I’d have an overabundance of love. Now, I had a quick conversation with someone who told me that you could never have an overabundance of love, and all I could respond with was, “Well, of course you can. You just have to be mindful to pass on the love that spills over….” So, my gift to all of my internet Mamas is to pass on all the love that you show me in any way, in any form that I can. Thank you, ladies. Thank you for everything you’ve given me.
Now, I love getting pics of my bears when they get to their new homes. I LOVE seeing them clutched and held and squeezed. And I love when they make their way to wonderful places like Australia, Switzerland, England….and now, back to Berlin. As some of you read in my book, “Mad Man Knitting-or-The Waiter and the Fly,” I went to high school in Berlin. So, it was so great to see this lovely little bear I made for Amanda make its way around the city. Brought back such wonderful memories of me being a ridiculous youth exploring and enjoying life in one of the most fascinating cities every to have had boundaries. So, I wanna see more! I wanna see your bear on tour! I wanna see him at your local grocery store! At your kid’s soccer game! I wanna see your bear in your city. I wanna see him mindfully experiencing the great things your city has to offer. No matter how small or grand. Your little town has the most famous BBQ joint? I’d love to see a pic of him outside the restaurant, waiting to mow down on pulled pork and ribs, baked beans and potato salad (I’m obviously craving BBQ). Live in Manhattan? Let’s see him at your favorite deli!
I wanna do a series of blogs about YOUR bears. I wanna do this WONDERFUL series of pieces about this skinny little man in a 10 by 20 studio knitting teddy bears that go all over the world, and the places they’ve gone, and they places they’ve been, the homes they now live in, the people’s lives they now touch. We’ll all get to see the vastness of the world, but the close connection between each of us, with simple photos of teddy bears in our daily humdrum.
So, I’m starting with these two pics. One is of Amanda and her bear in Berlin. LOVE IT! And the other is of my friend Timothy Richards, whose bear arrived on just the right day. You see, his friend was feeling rough, beat up a little, and as he opened the box, his friend was delighted to see the bear, fell in love. And out of good instinct, and kindness, Timothy gave the bear to her promptly and told her she should have it, snapped a pic and sent it to me. Looks like that little bear made her day just perfectly special and real. I love the clutching, the squeeze, the story….
And by all means, don’t have your own bear? Then click here.
